10,665
employees across Symrise, including apprentices and trainees
28%
women in the first management level
42%
women in the second management level
>60
Number of home countries of employees at Symrise
Managing our
social impact
Our approach to sustainability focuses on caring for the people within our company and the communities we act in, just as much as it focuses on our environmental impact
The backbone of our success is built on employees and suppliers who are not only highly-skilled, but also well-motivated. We’re constantly striving to offer the best possible working conditions for our people, while also accepting the social responsibility we bear beyond our own company.
One example of this in action are our stringent plant safety measures; these minimize the potential negative impacts of our facilities on our local communities and the environment. They’re also designed to support the local infrastructure of the communities where our facilities are located.
Creating shared value
We’re focused on building strong communities, ensuring strong supply chains and enabling strong growth
We use 10,000 natural and synthetic raw materials from over 100 countries. Sustainable procurement is not only ethically correct and responsible; it’s a prerequisite for our long-term commercial success.
We work hard to ensure the availability, quality and price stability of these raw materials, and recognize that behaving responsibly towards the communities that supply them is important to achieving that.
As part of our growth strategy, we work with communities in emerging markets to support meaningful development that brings tangible benefits for all our stakeholders and the communities we work in.
We’re implementing programs and projects all over the world. From communities in India to Madagascar, with our partners, we’re committed to long-term care for all.
WASH in School
Working in partnership to give school children in India access to improved sanitary facilities
As our market position in emerging markets continues to grow, we’re increasing our commitment to the communities we work in by investing in infrastructure and preventative healthcare.
India is one of the fastest growing economies in the world yet millions of school children still lack access to clean drinking water and sanitary facilities.
Working in partnership with UNICEF and the city of Chennai on the ‘WASH in School’ project, we’re playing our part in improving this situation – 1,500 school children in the area now have access to improved sanitary facilities.
Developing and advancing our employees
We’re committed to becoming known as an employer of choice around the world
To provide excellence and opportunities for our employees, we know we must also give them a voice. In 2016, approximately 5,400 employees provided feedback to us in our Symrise Employee Engagement Survey (with a participation rate of 80% from those countries we involved).
The positive feedback was overwhelming: 90% are very satisfied or at least satisfied in their jobs, while 95% say they would accept their job again without hesitation.
While we’re proud of our achievements in this respect, we know that there are always improvements to be made. For example, we’re rated very highly for competitiveness and future prospects in some countries, but less so in others. By being open, proactive and listening to our people, we’re able to make positive change wherever it’s needed. We’re taking action not only for our current employees, but for the future talents of Symrise who will ensure our continued success.
“The secret of success”
Over more than twenty years, Victor Flores Breceda has enjoyed a varied, rewarding career with Symrise Mexico, where we place in the top 10% of companies for employee satisfaction
“The active approach to employee development and advancement is excellent here. Particularly valuable are the personal connections that have provided me with inspiration for my own career.
It’s this support that helped me progress from working in planning for Aroma Chemicals, to being a fragrance planner, a planner coordinator and now to my current role of Product Manager for Scent & Care Fragrances, which means I’m responsible for their planning and production. That opportunity and support has been the secret of my success, and it’s why we’ve outperformed expectations over the last six years.”
Promoting equality
and diversity
We’re a globally-minded company that believes diverse perspectives lead to innovative solutions
We source, produce, manufacture and market our products all over the world, and our expansive, international operations are reflected in the people we employ. We thrive on the different ethnic, cultural, religious, gender and age backgrounds of our employees – we want our products to be for all people, created by a diverse workforce.
Achieving true diversity and equality as a company means having the systems in place to make our ambitions a reality. It’s an ongoing journey but we’re proud of our progress to date. For example, our 2020 target for 40% of our workforce to be female was already almost reached by the end of 2016 (38.3%).
With almost 10,665 employees serving roughly 160 countries, doing business with other companies in other countries, with different cultures and customs, it’s vital that we have a common basis from which to work. This is where our Code of Conduct comes in: it is one of the most important elements of our Group-wide compliance program and has been key to enabling us to build our positive reputation with all the different people and businesses we work with.
We have also signed the Women´s Empowerment Principles. With this move, We want to send a clear signal to our global organization that we stand for gender equality in our workplace.
Meaningful health
and safety measures
Like all companies that source, develop and manufacture products on a global scale, we’re faced with numerous challenges when it comes to ensuring the health and safety of all our employees
We’re convinced that a zero-accident culture is achievable with an approach that is proactive rather than simply reactive:
- a focus on the cause of injuries rather than just the number
- clear actions to identify and correct unsafe conditions/actions
- a system that doesn’t encourage the non-reporting of injuries
Wherever our employees are based and whatever their role is, their wellbeing is our number one priority.Dr. Helmut Frieden, Corporate Sustainability
